Coin Collecting

What’s New this Friday at CoinLink ……..

Headline News

Greg Reynolds has posted a preview of the upcoming Superior Galleries Auction to be held in Long Beach. He discusses the Roadrunner Collection of US and shipwreck coins, and highlights the 1879 Flowing Hair Stella to be sold.

The ANA has released the schedule for the World’s Fair of Money Seminars and Workshops to be held this summer in Baltimore.

There is also an article on how ICTA (INDUSTRY COUNCIL FOR TANGIBLE ASSETS) recently helped defeat an 11th hour proposal by Senator Tom Harkin, that would have put precious metals dealers under the jurisdiction of the CFTC, and potentially crippled bullion dealers businesses.

Tom LaMarre of Coins Magazine shares his Thoughts on The Nation’s First Cents, with a look at the 1792 Large cent

Brief Notes:

We are starting a NEW weekly Column on CoinLink entitles “Brief Notes“. Every week we come across numerous tidbits of information and small stories about coins and/or the people within the industry. Most are not included for various reasons, time mostly, but they still deserve mention.

The Brief Notes will be posted every Friday, and be a compilation of the numerous smaller stories found during the prior week. We hope you will find this both informative and entertaining, as I am sure we will hear about it if it is not.

Have a Great Weekend !

What’s New on Wednesday at CoinLink ……..

Headline News

We have another story on the SS New York Gold. This one covers NCS Conserving Coins the Recovered from the Steamship New York. The more we find out about this, the more we are surprised at both the quantity and quality of the coins. Additional follow-up articles will be forthcoming.

Heritage will be offering a very rare NY Theatre “Penny” Token in the upcoming Long Beach Sale. I am always fascinated at items such as these, with the history and story that surrounds each.

And here is another “off beat” story about David Rice Atchison. Numisnatic News explains Don’t count on a Presidential dollar for Atchison, even though he was technically President of the US for one day in March 1849.

Bloomberg reports this morning that Gold Gains in London as Dollar Drops Against Euro; Silver Rises

Coin Values takes a look at the current Up Beat Market Sentiment in the rare coins market and the effects of inflation fears and recession concerns.

PCGS also had an interesting article on the 1964 Special Mint Set. Although this is an area of numismatics in which I do not have a great deal of interest, it is always fascinating to learn something new about US coins.

And finally, Dallas Gold and Silver Exchange (which owns Superior Galleries) has reported record revenue in first quarter of 2008

We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow !

What’s New on Wednesday at CoinLink ……..

Headline News

Numismaster posted an insightful article on Is The Deep Financial Crisis Overwhelming Gold Price Manipulation?. A compelling topic sure to raise more questions than there are answers.

Ever heard of the SS New York Shipwreck? Well it seems that this side-wheel steamer went down in the Gulf in 1848, and 4 local men have recovered one of the more amazing treasures that most people have never head about. Now Coin dealers are examining the gold find from the Louisiana coast.

Coin World posted a helpful article on Prooflike Morgan Dollars and how to identify and collect them. New collectors will want to read this carefully.

The Austrian Mint has Issued a new 5 Euro, Nine SidedSilver Commemorative Honoring the Great Conductor Herbert von Karajan. Being culturally illiterate I had no idea who the hell this was, which goes to prove that you are never to old to learn something new every day.

And finally today NGC has posted an article on The Final “Three Branches” Proof American Platinum Eagles. Collectors of modern US coins and bullion coins should find this informative. We also added a photo of all three reverses in the series. They are actually quite attractive.

New Articles

We have posted two new articles today. The first from Jim Fehr at North American Certified Rarities give collectors advise on the $20 Saint Gaudens series, breaking down the key dates, better dates and rarities within the series. A great reference and introduction to this most popular collector area.

Our second Article comes from Kathleen Duncan at Pinnacle-Rarities, giving readers a primer on Collecting US Commemoratives. Again another solid article for those new to collecting and looking for a specialty to focus in on.

We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow !

What’s New on Tuesday at CoinLink ……..

Things are just starting to warm up this week with two stories on World coin auctions slated for Long Beach. This May seems to be World Coin Month and Long beach is the place to be. We have also posted the second of CoinLink’s NEW series on Top 10 Articles. This will be a weekly feature so we hope you enjoy it. We have also included some interesting odds and ends for your enjoyment. Browse about and have a great time.

Headline News

The Goldberg’s Millennia Collection is in the news again, with an overview of their Pre Long Beach Sale. This is the first of several stories that CoinLink will present about this Historic Sale. Consider this just an overview, with more detailed articles to follow.

We are also happy to include an article by Susan Headley of About.com on the US Mint Opposition to the New Steel Cent legislation. Susan is a very talented writer and one of the best “guides that About.com has. It is always a pleasure reading here work.

In a recent Commentary by Barron’s Editorial Editor THOMAS G. DONLAN, we found a section entitles “Zinc or Swim“, commenting on the demise of “Good Money”. Often we don’t realize how things change over time, a little here and a little there. This short piece may give a bit of perspective.

Update on the 500 year old shipwreck off the Namibian Coast believed to be that of Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias, which was announced last week. It now seem that the Government of Nambia has taken over the “oversight” of the wreck and announced that “there will be no further information or media comments on this matter - until further notice”. Just beautiful ! This should be interesting.

Finally World Coins are coming to Long Beach. Heritage will be holding its World Coin Auction which includes a Great Brazilian Rarity: an 1844 One Hundred Reis of Pedro II. It is believed to be only one of three known. The sale is comprised of over 3200 lots, so it looks like Long Beach is going to be the place to be for World Coin Collectors.

What Else is New ?

Zyrus Press is offering a special Pre Order deal on Jeff Ambio’s New Book Collecting and Investing Strategies for Walking Liberty Half Dollars . This is another in the “Strategy Guide” series, and the only book of its type covering this popular type.

We also have a NEW Top 10 article. This one is from Scott Travers Top 10 Most Important Grading Tips Always an important topic and one that will help out new collectors with tips from one of the industry experts and consumer advocates.

We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow !

Welcome back to CoinLink ……..

The markets and news always pick up proceeding a major show and auctions, and this weekend was no exception. Look for this week to bring out a large number of auction previews, highlighted coins and the ever present gold and silver fluctuations. We also expect to be publishing several new articles by Greg Reynolds on both the Millennia Sale and the Heritage auction. Should be a busy week ahead. Now onto what’s New today:

Breaking News and Articles:

One of only Three Known 1825 O-118 Bust Half Dollars will go on the Block at Heritages Long Beach Sale. For Bust Half collectors, this may represent a “once in a Lifetime” opportunity to secure this R-8 variety. Good Luck to all the bidders!

The ANA reported that it’s School of Numismatics will offer a class in The Fundamentals of Grading at the CoinFest show in Connecticut on November 8-9. Plan ahead as space is limited.

On Sunday, June 1, 2008 Teletrade will be holding a special auction of over 250 “Green Label” PCGS graded coins. Many consider these to be more conservatively graded than most of the latter graded coins. You be the judge.

And on the subject of grading, Collectors Universe released its Fiscal 3rd Quarter2008 results. Of note is the decrease in revenue from Trade shows and a sharp increase in the PCGS Warranty Claims to $822,000. No mention was made as to the number or type of “buybacks”, but this is a large number. I am sure we will hear more about this in the future.

With continued volatility in the Gold Markets Larry Edelson provides some insights into the Future of Gold and presents a couple of possible scenarios moving forward. Worth a read if you invest in the yellow metal.

And finally for all of us who decry the lack of imagination and artistry in US currency and coins, The Arizona Republic published a great article on The Art of Money. I think we need to forward a copy of this the the Mint and BEP .

More New Content:

Whitman Publishing will soon be releasing another 100 Greatest, this time The 100 Greatest Ancient Coins by Harlan J Berk. Given Mr Berks expertise and the beautifully presentation of this series of Coffee Table books, it is sure to be a success.

Doug Winter just recently penned a great article on Collecting Transitional US Gold coins. I am always amazed at the endless ways on can build collections, and Doug being one of the finest experts in US Gold Coinage has again provided both insight and creativity in his suggestions and knowledge.

We look forward to seeing you again tomorrow !